Pic: Kenneth, on my lap, snuggling :) Light is different because it was on two seperate occasions. As you see, Kenneth is also developing his Mama's trick of rolling on his back in your lap. He is such a sweetheart!

Anyway. The kittens have all come over the second set of vaccinations with no issues whatsoever. In fact, they are eating so well that I had to go out and buy MORE dry kitten food yesterday. I'd calculated how much kitten food we were likely to need, and then added a bit more, but it seems that I didn't order enough at all for these Hungry Horaces!

(Does anyone remember Hungry Horace, by the way? I LOVED that game! Happy days. Reckon if I showed The Teenager he'd be decidedly underwhelmed by it though!)

It's truly amazing how much six kittens will eat. Although judging by the size of Mama's tum, she's partly responsible! Ah well, her days of munching kitten food are numbered- sorry Inds!

Numbers

I was drawing up the kittens' 4 generation pedigrees last night, a somewhat complicated procedure involving lots of strings of numbers (the cats' registration numbers) and thus checking and rechecking that I have copied the numbers correctly. I'm not finished yet, it's kind of a work in progress lol.

It was really quite interesting though. I haven't looked at Indigo's and Harry's pedigrees for a while. Indigo is a 5th generation Tonkinese, so her pedigree is all Tonk, and all the breed numbers are 74 and variations thereof. Harry though, Harry is a 2nd generation Tonkinese, so his near ancestors contains both Burmese and Siamese influences. So there's a liberal sprinkling of 24s (Siamese), 27s (Burmese) and even a couple of 32s in there as well (Tabby/ Tortie/ Red/ Cream/ Apricot Siamese, as these colours were not originally accepted by Siamese breeders, hence the different number)

As to which generation the kittens are, it's the lower of the parent's generations, plus one. So they are 3rd generation Tonkinese. Their parents and grandparents are all Tonks, their great grandparents and their great great grandparents are Burmese, Siamese and Tonkinese.

All the cats have letters before their number, too. Now Tonkinese are a relatively new breed (although in the 'wild', they are as old as the hills... there are Tonkinese street cats wherever the Burmese and the Siamese are...) so there are different codes, and it all gets quite confusing. There's a brilliant guide at Mymystic Tonkinese but I'll try to summarise on here as well.

If the cat has a CSREF on its registration number, it is e on the reference register. It is either a first generation, second generation, or has a solid or pointed coat pattern- so both Indigo and Wendell have CSREF before their numbers. CSREF cats can be bred from, if also registered as active (Indigo is, Wendell is not) but they cannot be shown in pedigree classes.

If a cat has CSSR before it's numbers, it is on the supplementary register. This means that the cats ancestry for 3 generations consists of mink tonkinese, pointed and solid variant CSREF Tonkinese PLUS at least one ancestor from a back cross mating (Tonkinese with Burmese or Siamese, but only pre 1997, it's not allowed now) or a pre 1999 first cross mating (Burmese x Siamese) All the minks have a CSSR before their number (as does Harry, their father) because they have a Siamese and a Burmese as a great grandparent. CSSR kittens can be shown. They can also be bred from if also registered on the Active Register, which mine are not, of course.

and THEN, we have the registration CS, which is the full register- fourth generation and above mink Tonkinese and onwards. Indigo had a mink brother, who would have been CS. Don't let the name 'full register' fool you though... all the codes are properly GCCF registered pedigree Tonkinese cats.

Tonkinese are such a 'new' breed (see proviso above!) that CS registered cats seem to be the exception rather than the rule- there's only one CS Tonkinese cat on the REM litter's whole pedigree! Once you get further and further up the generational ladder, the gene pool available for mating gets smaller and smaller, so eventually you have to mate with lower generations with new bloodlines in order to keep the gene pool healthy.

Not that this will matter to ANYONE but me of course... I suspect I'm a bit of a nerd *grin*. What can I say, I find it interesting!

I Got Up

... the other day, and went into the kitchen to get myself a coffee, and when I came back...

My seat had been taken! Yup, that's Indigo, feeding four kittens on my nicely warmed chair, the minx!

All the kittens love my computer chair, (and so does Indigo!) and it doesn't matter how briefly I leave it for, there's always someone in it when I get back. So Be Warned, new families... these kittens are seasoned chair- snatchers. Better get used to sitting on the floor.

Last Weigh In

Pretty AnnElise

Last weigh-in and last vaccination, yesterday. All these 'last' things... time seems to be going past awfully fast!

All went swimmingly, all are healthy, and even Hope had a good weight gain in the past 10 or so days- her last gain wasn't brilliant but this week's more than makes up for it. Yay Hope!

So there we are... the kittens are vaccinated, wormed, flead, chipped and just killing time now before coming home. I have the pedigree slips back from the GCCF, I have the free insurance slips ready to go, the microchip numbers are off with Petlog and will be with the new families shortly. I just have to assemble the kitten packs/ documentation now.

*sniff*

So anyway. Weights. I have two big kittens, three average ones and one titch... so all in all a pretty even litter!

Wendell

Birth 103g

1 week 217g

2 weeks 294g

3 weeks 362g

4 weeks 463g

5 weeks 593g

6 weeks 763g

7 weeks 907g

8 weeks 1045g

9 weeks 1240g

10.5 weeks 1390g

12 weeks 1630g

Kensey

Birth 91g

1 week  196g

2 weeks 255g

3 weeks 346g

4 weeks 437g

5 weeks 604g

6 weeks 777g

7 weeks 975g

8 weeks 1149g

9 weeks 1310g

10.5 weeks 1470g

12 weeks 1720g

Kenneth

Birth 94g

1 week 192g

2 weeks 274g

3 weeks 382g

4 weeks 480g

5 weeks 589g

6 weeks 757g

7 weeks 902g

8 weeks 1045g

9 weeks 1230g

10.5 weeks 1340g

12 weeks 1640g

Monty

Birth 90g

1 week  198g

2 weeks 290g

3 weeks 390g

4 weeks 524g

5 weeks 600g

6 weeks 792g

7 weeks 1012g

8 weeks 1157g

9 weeks 1340g

10.5 weeks 1530g

12 weeks 1830g

AnnElise

Birth 92g

1 week 188g

2 weeks 262g

3 weeks 338g

4 weeks 437g

5 weeks 539g

6 weeks 716g

7 weeks 897g

8 weeks 1017g

9 weeks 1240g

10.5 weeks 1350g

12 weeks 1600g

Hope

Birth 83g

1 week 182g

2 weeks 257g

3 weeks 340g

4 weeks 458g

5 weeks 562g

6 weeks 712g

7 weeks 832g

8 weeks 962g

9 weeks  1070g

10.5 weeks 1130g

12 weeks 1360g :)

Just One More Week

... and I bet the kittens' new families are counting down the days!

In just over a week, all my kittens will be safely home with their new people and going on to the next stage in their development- blossoming under the love and guidance of their families and growing into sociable, affectionate adult cats.
They will soon be showing their lovely natures off in person (or should that be 'in kitten'??) but I thought I'd just give you a teaser. So here's the REM litter's end of term report *grin*

Wendell

Funny-face Wendell is the comedian of the group. He reminds me of his mama the most in looks and is the most playful kitten of the litter. He's a bit bonkers, he never seems to stop leaping and running and pouncing. I've say 'I'm not sure when he sleeps' before, but he's taken to napping on my lap of late, so I can confirm he does, indeed, sleep. Occasionally!

Wendell was the first born, and I'm grateful to him for waking me up by squeaking incredibly loudly, so that I could assist with his next two siblings who were born in rapid succession. Poor Indigo was totally overwhelmed on her own. Thanks, Wendell- you saved the day! :)

Kensey

Kensey is sweet, playful, loving, all the things a kitten should be, but the most striking thing about him is his good looks. He is one HANDSOME boy! He's one of the biggest kittens,  lithe and muscular, and is a pleasure to look at. What is more, he's perfected the art of the pose as well. I can turn the camera on Kensey and know, despite my rather feeble photographic skills, that I'll take a good picture of him. Which is very gratifying, especially when I've been trying to photograph Wendell...

He's a curious cat and REALLY wants to know what's in my bedroom. He's gotten in there a few times as well, much to the disgust of Ava and Sofia!

Kenneth

Kenneth is a quiet little puss. Where his siblings will demand cuddles, Kenneth will sidle up to you confidentially, without fuss, and suddenly you will find a kitten purring contentedly into your lap. He's sweet, a little shy, and just lovely! He's a bit of an explorer at heart I think, despite his quiet nature. I don't think it will take him long before he's king of his new castle.

Kenneth, I feel, has been rather swamped by his litter of five siblings at times. He's so easygoing that he's just gone along with the pack for the most part, he hasn't had the chance to be 'the leader'. It's really going to be interesting and exciting for his family to see him blossom when it's just him (and a buddy, eventually) I wish I could be a fly on the wall to see it happening.
Monty

This boy likes to cuddle! I could just say that, and you'd know pretty much all you needed to about Monty!

... ah ok, I'll say a little more *grin* Monty has inherited from his Mama the trick of upending himself into your arms for cuddles. He will allow himself to be cradled like a baby or sat on your shoulder, on your lap or curled into a foot, but what he likes the best is to snuggle into your neck. And he purrs and he purrs and he purrs... bliss! He's chatty as well and will 'talk' to you. What he is usually saying is 'I need a snuggle!' so a chatting session is usually followed with a neck snuggling session.

AnnElise

I don't often see AnnElise alone... she's always snuggled with a sibling, washing someone's ears, biting someone's tail. She thrives on the company of other cats, so I'm especially pleased she's coming home with a brother.

Like Kenneth, AnnElise is a subtle snuggler. Her favourite trick is to wait till I'm at the computer, then snuggle into the small of my back. This basically immobilises me as I'm afraid of squashing her, so I'll tap away on my keyboard and try not to move whilst she purrs away! She's also quick to offer her tummy for rubs, and has charmed her new people with this very trick. Nice one AnnElise!

Hope

Tiny, but feisty!  The best things come in small packages, they say! At 12 weeks, she's by far the smallest kitten, but nobody seems to have told Hope this...  she was the first to hit all the kitten milestones, despite her diminuitive stature. She's an independent, confident and friendly kitty with a lovely purr and I know she's going to make a great companion.
Hope will remain in my memory for the way she befriended Theo... she really does adore him!  As it has worked out, Hope is going to a home where she'll have another 'big brother' kitty... so it couldn't be better, really.

I LOVE It When They Do This!

This is Hope, standing up, asleep! (next to Theo, naturally...)

She does this a fair bit, dropping off to sleep whilst still standing up. Kensey does to too and it is seriously cute! After a few minutes of head- nodding, they tend to wake up, look about groggily and settle down in a more natural sleeping position.

Usually the whirr of the camera turning on wakes them up, so it's been difficult to take a picture of the 'sleep-standing'... so pleased I managed to get one today!!!

Insurance

Unrelated picture of mama feeding- she'll still let them, occasionally!

Ok, so I'm going to waffle on about insurance today, and this is a post specifically for my new kitten families. The kittens come with four weeks free insurance with PetPlan. I'll activate this on the Monday or Tuesday before they come home, so that the paperwork should be with you (or at least on the way) by the time you bring home your kitten. This gives you a couple of weeks in which to sort out your own insurance.
My kittens will come home at thirteen weeks, to the best of my knowledge, fit and healthy. They will also have been vet checked five times (six for Wendell and Kenneth!) and had the usual kitten course of vaccinations, flea treatments and worm treatments. It's hard to imagine anything going wrong and yet it happens, cats get sick just like people do and there's no pet NHS to cover the cost.

I'm a big fan of cat insurance, and I would advise you to both to insure your cat and get the best one you can afford, rather than the cheapest going. One must be pragmatic about this... some are pricey- I would love to be able to afford Petplan, for example, but it's a little beyond my means. The one I have isn't as comprehensive, admittedly, and the very cheapest ones are, naturally, quite limited, but my thoughts are that some insurance is better than none at all.

It isn't nice to think about, but some insurances will cover the cost of the cat, if it dies- which leaves you with a sum of money ready to buy another kitten, when you are ready. Some insurances will pay out if your cat goes missing too, with a certain amount for costs incurred whilst looking for the cat. So I can't really recommend a specific insurance as it will vary according to your needs. I have Tesco's 'Extra' cover.

One last thing... I have heard that you can't claim for the first week or so of a new insurance, so don't wait till right at the end of the four free weeks to start the new one or you will have a gap. So unless you are continuing with Petplan, have an overlap of insurances for at least a few days to make sure that you are covered at all times.